1001 Indonesia

[Nike]

The more educated are familiar with internet and social medias, the availability of information which is abundant and easy is to obtain there has made them lazy and don't bother anymore to find a teacher, let alone a good and proper one. With no filter and guide, no wonder they're easily infected by radicalization.

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The good jihadi: inside Indonesia’s terrorist boarding school
By: Gabrielle Lipton - POSTED ON: October 6, 2017

In North Sumatra, a former Indonesian radical has opened a boarding school for the children of terrorists to prevent their futures from looking like his past.

What happens when children begin to realise that their parents are following a different path? What happens when that path ends behind bars? Or on the receiving end of a bullet? What happens in the minds of children whose parents are terrorists?

Khairul Ghazali had plenty of time to think about these questions when he was in prison – six years, exactly, the shortest sentence among his comrades convicted for terrorist activities in 2010. He had plenty of time to think not just about the children killed in the bombings carried out by the terrorism organisation he was a part of, but also those whose parents were sitting in cells near his.

He thought not about changing the roots of terrorist organisations in Indonesia but changing the seeds, so to speak. He thought about digging up those susceptible to perpetuating Islamic militancy and re-planting them in a new, healthier plot of land.

This ultimately ended up being 30 hectares near Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, now the site of Ghazali’s Al-Hidayah Islamic Boarding School.

Ghazali was born into a family that was part of Darul Islam, an Islamic group founded by militias that fiercely believed in turning Indonesia into an Islamic state. As a teenager, in 1984, he joined Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiyah, a separatist terrorist organisation borne from Darul Islam. As a young adult, Ghazali helped carry out bombings and bank heists around the country before being jailed in 2010.

When officials from Indonesia’s National Agency for Counter-Terrorism (BNPT) visited the prison where he was being held, Ghazali shared with them his vision to stunt the future of Indonesian terrorism through education, to give children whose parents have been involved in terrorist activities an emotionally safe place to learn, a place where they weren’t exposed to violence. The school would be an embodiment of the shift in his definition of jihad.

By the time he went on parole in 2015, word of his idea had spread among national and local government, and the governor of North Sumatra sent a plea to the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises on Ghazali’s behalf to grant him the land. With the help of friends and family, he realised his vision and built Al-Hidayah.

With round cheeks sandwiched between a tuft of beard and thick-rimmed glasses, Ghazali brims with joviality, his wrinkle-free 52-year-old skin hiding the turmoil of his past. “This school is to prevent radicalism from touching the children of terrorist families,” he says. “I chose a place somewhat away from the crowd or in the suburbs in order to have the land and soil for children to learn life skills.”

The 20 male students currently enrolled live on campus and learn the standardised Indonesian school curriculum supplemented with lessons in English, Arabic, entrepreneurship, agriculture and psychology. Some have fathers behind bars; others have witnessed their father’s death. But this is not a rescue mission, and although Ghazali visits the homes of the students, they must come with the consent of their parents or guardian. The school’s religious ethos follows rahmatan lil ‘alamin, teaching Islam through a lens of peace and tolerance. On one occasion a student was withdrawn when his parents returned to radicalised beliefs.

Al-Hidayah’s key goal, however, is to surround students with others who come from similar homes, who see each other as normal, who are taught why and how to step off the path they might have unknowingly been on and support one another along the way.

“Being different from other children is not easy, and these students have to be counseled on how to cope with mockery from other kids, how to develop their self-esteem, how to think they are equal compared to other ‘normal’ children,” says Hamdi Muluk, a professor of psychology at the University of Indonesia who has researched and published extensively on the psychology of terrorism. “Children also might not understand what terrorism means. This can make them feel confused, not confident, fearful of being rejected. And if they feel frustrated, they might convert this to revenge or hate. This can become a serious problem when they reach their teenage years. Someone has to explain to them realistically what happened to their parents.”

While terrorist activities in Indonesia are currently few and far between, Ghazali was a prime contributor during a period when they were at an all-time high. When he joined Jemaah Islamiyah, Indonesia was under the administration of President Suharto, a military dictator who pursued the archipelagic country’s unity through the doctrine of Pancasila – a five-pillared ideology that promotes coexistence of multiple religions – over Sharia law. There was no tolerance in Suharto’s regime for radical Islam, and their desire to flee from this oppression pushed Ghazali and others into Malaysia and Thailand, often using time abroad to equip themselves with bomb-making and weaponry skills.

When the regime finally fell in 1998, Jemaah Islamiyah returned to Indonesia to carry out terrorist activities around the archipelago. The Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005 killed 202 and 20 people, respectively, the 2003 Jakarta bombing at the Marriott Hotel killed 20, the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy killed nine and the 2000 bombing of the Philippine embassy killed two. There was also a 2010 bank heist in Medan in which an estimated $44,000 was stolen. Two days later, a midnight attack on the police headquarters in Hamparan Perak, North Sumatra, left three officers dead.

Following this final attack, and knowing they were being pursued by the Indonesian Special Forces’ counter-terrorism squad known as Densus 88, Ghazali took his comrades to his home in Tanjung Balai, about five hours east by car from the scene of the crime. Their hideout was quickly discovered and, a month later, Densus 88 raided Ghazali’s home, ending in the death of two terrorists and prison sentences for the rest.

The bedlam of Ghazali’s former life could not be in starker contrast to his current surroundings.

Al-Hidayah’s curriculum spans maths, languages and agriculture

The school is a simple and peaceful place, comprising two classrooms with pastel lemon-and-lime-coloured walls, a mosque, a couple of offices, a workshop space, three outdoor play areas and dorms. Tuition is free, the eight teachers all work as volunteers and funding comes from Ghazali himself, as well as a cohort of high-ranking government officials who got behind the project: the head of BNPT, Suhardi Alius; National Police chief Tito Karnavian; and the police chief of Medan, Mardiaz Kusin.

Alius was one of the first government officials to become aware of the school, hearing about it from members of his staff who visited Ghazali in prison, and is now the school’s most active supporter. While such a place certainly aligns with the goals of BNPT, the school moved Alius on a personal level and he fundraised among his friends to help build the school’s mosque without touching government money.

“These children are victims,” Alius says. “They’re often ostracised and experience social punishment, and as they get marginalised and secluded they might get closer to their parents’ ideology. But here, they’re loved and given attention and put in society instead.” He’s made the trip from his base in Jakarta to visit the school three times, and BNPT now develops Al-Hidayah’s curriculum as part of its annual task list.

Despite the uplifting nature of his idea, Ghazali has struggled to re-socialise himself and establish his school as part of the local community, which initially opposed the project on suspicion that its ethos was a sham and that Ghazali was using it as an undercover way to continue working for his former organisation.

“At first I was opposed by the community,” Ghazali says. “There was stigma; we were considered to be producing child terrorists. We were reported to authorities who eventually came to see me and saw we were not printing future generations [of terrorists].”

Despite such accusations, rejection is just as strident from the other side too. His former comrades now view him as a traitor – a puppet of the government and a doll of Densus 88 and the BNPT.

Soon, though, the brother of one of the Bali bombers will be establishing a similar school in the East Java village of Tenggulunan, which will also be supported by BNPT and the local government. Alius says there might even be a third school on the horizon.

Ghazali now teaches religion through the prism of peace and tolerance

Ghazali would never claim that Al-Hidayah is a perfect model but, for the students who stay, his new form of jihad seems to be working.

“I’ve studied here since August 2016,” says Ahmad Irgi, an 11-year-old student who had dropped out of public school after fifth grade. His father died in prison in 2015. “My mother brought me here to study religion and skills so that I can be a pious and able son. Now I have a lot of friends. And many of them have shared my same fate.”

And what, exactly, does Irgi hope his future holds? A career as a police officer.

http://sea-globe.com/indonesian-radical-boarding-school/


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Thats one touching story...

 

[pr1v4t33r]

 

[katarabhumi]

World's largest library on Indonesia opens in Leiden

Linawati Sidarto - The Jakarta Post
Leiden | Mon, October 23, 2017 | 10:01 am

Royal inspection: Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (right) walks through the Asian Library, accompanied by KITLV head Geert Oostindie. (Leiden University/Monique Shaw)

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands inaugurated in Leiden last week the Asian Library, which houses the world’s largest collection on Indonesia, including two United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage documents.

Rain and biting cold could not stop thousands of people from royalty and diplomats to academics and students — from descending upon Leiden’s city center for the opening of Leiden University’s Asian Library.

“Leiden University has created one of the foremost Asian libraries and a major international center for the study of Asia,” said university head librarian Kurt de Belder at the opening ceremony.

While also housing a prominent Chinese, Japanese, South and Southeast Asian collection, its Indonesian section is the library’s crown jewel.

“The Asian Library has the largest Indonesian collection worldwide,” De Belder points out, with “hundreds of thousands of items such as of books, documents, maps, photos and even LPs of early Indonesian pop music.”

The library is part of Leiden University Libraries, with collections spread across seven locations: in Leiden, Morocco’s Rabat and Jakarta. It brings together the university’s existing Asian collection with the libraries of the Royal Tropical Institute, which closed in 2013, and that of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies KITLV. The latter, in particular, has long been a major source for academic researchers on Indonesia. The Jakarta location is also a KITLV center.

It took several years of tremendous preparatory work, De Belder continues, to create “a large open stack collection of 4 kilometers of Asian materials at the University Library, an additional book depository with 38-km of shelf space allowing all of the Asian collections, more than 30-km, to be housed at the University Library, and ultimately creating an Asian Library on the library’s former roof garden.”

Situated on the third floor of Leiden University’s library building, the Asian Library has surrounding windows overlooking the city’s canal and a 16thcentury botanical garden. Its facilities include conference rooms and a film hall.

Among its most treasured items are original copies of La Galigo and Babad Diponegoro, both on UNESCO’s Memories of the World Heritage list. La Galigo, the world’s largest literary work, is a 14th century mythical story from the Bugis in South Sulawesi. Originating from an oral tradition, it was put down in writing around the 19th century. “We have 12 volumes of the work in our collection,” says Roger Tol, head of the KITLV Jakarta office.

Treasured: A look into the pages of La Galigo, one of Asian Library's most treasured items. The text is written in old Buginese script. (JP/Linawati Sidarto)

Babad Diponegoro, meanwhile, is the autobiographical chronicle of Prince Diponegoro, who fought the Dutch colonizers in a five-year war ending in 1830.

Tol underlined that both works were jointly submitted for UNESCO’s consideration by Indonesia and the Netherlands. Former Indonesian education minister Wardiman Djojonegoro, who has been involved in the submission process, was among the day’s honored guests.

A third submission is on the way: the 13th century Panji tales from East Java, which later spread throughout Southeast Asia. The Asian Library has some 250 Panji manuscripts, “more than any collection elsewhere in the world,” Tol says.

The deputy chief of mission at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, Ibnu Wahyutomo, was optimistic that the new Asian Library would encourage more Indonesian academics to head to the Netherlands. “We already have some 2,500 students studying here,” he said.

He pointed out that some of Indonesia’s most prominent figures are Leiden University alumni, such as sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, who studied at the School of Economics in the 1930s. This head of the powerful Yogyakarta sultanate played an important role in Indonesia’s road toward independence from the Dutch in the 1940s. He served as vice president in the 1970s under then president Soeharto.

In fact, also present at the opening were two of the sultan’s granddaughters: crown Princess Mangkubumi and her youngest sister Princess Bendoro. Head librarian De Belder said he was delighted to welcome the two royals. “They are actively involved in the museum community of Yogyakarta, and are interested in sharing and exchanging information with us.”

One very important mission of the library is its continuous digitalization efforts, so that people anywhere in the world with internet could view its collection. “We would like to share this great collection with the world,” De Belder said.

Marije Plomp, librarian for the South and Southeast Asian collection, explains that “anyone with internet access can get on our website and search for material. The site is available in English, and when you click on a title, it will say whether it’s available in digital form.”

Some of the material, Plomp continues, “can also be downloaded for free, given that there is no copyright on it.” Much of the material dated prior to the 20th century, she points out, does not have copyright on them.

In the past decade, Plomp has seen a significant increase in interest for information from Indonesia. “Many Indonesians are curious to do research about their village or city, and about their history.”

A concrete proof of this is the presence of Bogor Mayor Bima Arya at the Asian Library opening.

“I’ll be signing a MoU [memorandum of understanding] for information exchange between Bogor and Leiden,” he said after the opening ceremony.

Bima says Bogor is mapping out its modern history, as well as that of the Pajajaran Kingdom, which existed in the Bogor region between the 11th and 16th centuries.

“I am sure that there are many resources here that we can use for our research.”

Plomp applauds these efforts. “After all, a lot of what we have here is our shared heritage with Indonesia.”

She does give one word of advice: “Historical research takes a lot of time and effort. No one should expect to promptly get all the material they need. They need to be patient and sort out what they need.”

The new library, she points out, does have four slots for guest researchers to go to Leiden and use the library’s facilities for a few months.

“We currently have two Indonesian writers here: Ben Sohib and Kurnia Effendi.”

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/...est-library-on-indonesia-opens-in-leiden.html


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Great Indonesian literature: Tales of Panji

Wardiman Djojonegoro - Former minister of education and culture

Panji tales on a 'wayang beber' scroll. (Wikipedia/File)

The stories of Javanese cultural hero, Prince Panji Inu Kertapati, dating from the 13th century, mark the development of a truly Javanese literature that was no longer overshadowed by the great Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Set among the eastern Javanese kingdoms, the stories tell of Panji’s search for his beloved Princess Candra Kirana, before the two lovers are happy-endingly reunited. During the Majapahit empire from the 14th to 15th centuries, the Panji stories became extremely popular, spreading from Java to Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The Panji tales were spread by merchants along the trading routes, and became one of the most popular forms of literature in Southeast Asia during the 17th and 18th centuries, and crossed the borders to the Malay region where they are known as “Hikayat”. The tales further spread to Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia. The Panji influence is described by renowned scholar Adrian Vickers as “a Panji civilization in Southeast Asia.”

Panji tales are unique as there was no single author; the tales were written by diverse authors, each bringing in their version of the story and in their local languages. For instance, Bali calls the Panji character Malat and varied Balinese customs can be found in the stories. In Thailand and the neighboring countries, the character of Panji is known as Inao or Eynao, and his lover as Bossaba.

There is no specific Panji storyline. Generally, the story is about Kuripan’s Prince Raden Inu Kertapati, who is engaged to his niece Dewi Galuh Sekartaji from childhood. However, the mother of Dewi Galuh plans to marry her to another prince. Galuh escapes to the forest where she experiences adventures and disguises herself as varied characters including a warrior who conquers other kingdoms.

Prince Inu Kertapati begins his search and enters the woods. He goes through a wide range of adventures that encompass meeting with ogres, amorous scenes, going through numerous disguises, and waging wars. At the end, the two lovers are reunited. The love story and the adventures are popular among all layers of society.

A sketch of Panji, wearing his distinctive rounded cap, found in a Malay manuscript of 'Hikayat Dewa Mandu', copied in Semarang, 1785. (British Library/File)

The extent of creativity of the authors can sometimes result in confusion. For instance, a Panji tale under the title of “Hikayat Cekel Wanengpati” has 29 different versions. Moreover, manuscripts under the same title may have different content, while on the other hand those under different titles may have the same content! Quite a number of authors simply used the name of Panji as part of the title of their book to gain popularity.

The popularity of Panji tales attracted the attention of numerous foreign travelers and scholars who came to Indonesia and subsequently wrote about the culture of the archipelago.

The oldest mention on Panji is found in the classical work of a famous Dutch writer, Francois Valentijn, which consists of five volumes of books about Indonesia, Oud Nieuw Oost Indie, published from 1724-1726. Two Panji tales are mentioned in volume three, page 26, namely “Hhakajat (Hikayat) Misagomitar” and “Corripan” (Kuripan).

The oldest list of Panji tales was reported by Haan (1900: 298), mentioning a Panji tale, “Tsiarang Kolijna”, while Stamford Raffles wrote a version of the Panji tale in his famous book The History of Java.

In the 19th century there was a burst of activity by Dutch scientists who began to conduct research on Panji tales. A famous Javanese scholar Poerbatjaraka wrote up his work in Panji Verhalen onderling Vergeleken (A Comparison of Panji Tales).

The Leiden University Library has a collection of more than 252 Panji manuscripts, some written on lontar (palm leaves) and mostly written on paper originating from different regions in Indonesia and in eight local languages.

The National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas) has nominated the Panji manuscripts in their collection to UNESCO to be included as part of the world heritage registry the Memory of the World. The reasons for this nomination are that the Panji tales are products of local scholars from East Java written seven centuries ago and which have become extensively popular and have spread out not only across Indonesia but also to neighboring countries.

In addition, Panji tales have also inspired other local cultural expressions, including dances, wayang (puppetry), theater and mask performances. The National Library of Indonesia has also invited the national libraries of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand, the British Library and the Leiden University Library to support the nomination. The libraries of Malaysia, Cambodia, and Leiden have expressed their willingness to join the nomination, while the British Library has expressed strong support for the cause.

The decision on the inclusion of the Panji tales in the Memory of the World will be announced by UNESCO in October this year.

On 3-5 August, a Panji festival was staged in Kota Tua, Jakarta, in commemorating the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and was also comprise Panji dance performances from five provinces, an exhibition and seminars.

***

The writer is a former minister of education and culture. As of 2016, he is a member of the National Library team registering the old manuscripts of the Panji tales with UNESCO’s registry of the Memory of the World. Currently he is assisting the East Java administration in reviving the Panji culture.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/07/18/great-indonesian-literature-tales-of-panji.html

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[katarabhumi]

Indonesia to establish research center for human evolution
25 October 2017

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Education and Culture will establish a center of human evolution, adaptation, and dispersal studies in Southeast Asia, the Cultural Director General, Hilmar Farid, said here on Tuesday.

"Most regions in Java Island, mainly in Sangiran and Pacitan, have served as living laboratories for studies on human evolution. Hence, in order to step up our efforts to study these heritages, the Indonesian government is currently developing a center for human evolution, adaptation, and dispersal studies in Southeast Asia," Farid explained, during the sidelines of an exhibition jointly hosted by Indonesia and Georgia at the National Museum, in Jakarta.

Initiated by the Indonesian government and supported by other Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the center will serve as a single platform for researches, scientific publications, conservation programs, as well as experts and students exchanges, he noted.

"This center would link all research and other scientific activities on human evolution. The Indonesian government has realized that a platform for collaboration in this subject is important," Farid reiterated.

According to the director general, the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will host a general conference next November to discuss Indonesias proposal on establishing the human evolution research center in Southeast Asia.

"If UNESCO approves this (human evolution research) center, it would receive large benefits, including the vast network of experts, some important access, and other technical supports. However, if the UN body decides otherwise, the center will continue to operate, backed by Indonesian governments state-fund," he stated.

During the separate occasion, the ministrys cultural heritage and museum director, Harry Widianto, remarked that Indonesia has planned to establish the center since three years ago.

"We had submitted the proposal (on establishing the center) to UNESCO three years ago. The UN experts had reviewed the document, and they had reported to the commission. Based on the report, the UNESCO member countries would discuss our proposal at a general conference next month," he remarked, while adding that the center is planned to be fully operational by 2018.

Widianto further explained that Indonesia would be the first country in Southeast Asia to establish a center for human evolution studies.

"Apart from us, some similar centers have operated in Spain for the European region, Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa, Johannesburg in South Africa, and China for East Asia," he explained.

Widianto added that the main objective of the research center is the joint launch of all activities on human evolution studies with other experts in an international research framework.

"Any projects conducted (in the research center) would be linked to other sites overseas, such as in Spain and several African countries. (*)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/113192/indonesia-to-establish-research-center-for-human-evolution

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[Nike]

Indonesia needs 10 thousand cybersecurity experts
Rabu, 27 September 2017 12:57 WIB - 7.810 Views

Illustration(Pixabay)

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Indonesia needs some 10 thousand cybersecurity experts to deal with international cybersecurity threats that tend to increase.

"It could not be postponed; we are heading there. Cybersecurity is the third priority in the states defense efforts after radicalism in addition to terrorism and drugs," Major General Hartind Asrin, head of the education and training department of the Defense Ministry, noted in a press statement, here, Wednesday.

Indonesia should optimize its existing human resources to recruit 10 thousand cybersecurity experts, Asrin stated while attending "Cyber Jawara (Champion)" national hacker competition being held in Kuta, Bali, on Sept 26-29, 2017.

"This Cyber Jawara national hacker competition is one such platform to find potential talent in Indonesias younger generation. We, in the Defense Ministry, also focus on preparing an alert team to fight cyber threats," he noted.

The world needs at least one million cybersecurity experts to fight cybercrimes and threats in the cyber world, according to Dr Rudi Lumanto, chairman of the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure or the Monitoring Team on Cyber Attack Threats.

Currently, Indonesia has only some hundreds to a thousand internationally certified cybersecurity experts, he said.

"We need to educate more and improve the capabilities of our human resources," he noted.

The competition is being held to coincide with an international seminar and workshops themed "CodeBali 2017."

Prof Andrew Martin from Oxford University is the key speaker at the seminars opening ceremony held on Wednesday.

Prof Martins recent research has focused on the technologies of Trusted Computing and exploring ways in which they can be applied in large-scale distributed systems, particularly cloud computing, mobile devices, and Internet of Things (IoT).

The workshop covers digital forensics, malware analysis, creating and managing a computer security incident response team, and IoT penetration testing, among other things.

The winner of the competition will participate in a regional competition at the level of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The winning ASEAN-level team will be sent to Tokyo for an Asian-level competition and then to a world competition in Las Vegas, the US," Lumanto added.

This year, 20 teams, which had entered the final after clearing a nationwide online test, are participating in the national competition.

Reported by Edy M Yakub
Editor: Ida Nurcahyani

COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2017

 

[katarabhumi]

Indonesia wins Best National Costume at Miss Grand International 2017
The Jakarta Post | Thu, October 26, 2017 | 04:21 pm

Indonesia has been named the winner in the Best National Costume category at the Miss Grand International 2017 grand final on Wednesday in Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

The national costume was worn by the third runner-up of Putri Indonesia 2017, Dea Goesti Rizkita.

On her Instagram account, Dea said she was dedicating the costume to the country.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Designed by Morpachio and couture fashion designer Mayaratih, the 27-kilogram blue-and-gold attire was themed Motherland and presented Indonesia as a maritime country, reported tempo.co.

The design was also said to incorporate the country's principles by including five blue crystals on a circular ornament to represent Pancasila.

Meanwhile, the headpiece featured three blue crystals and five yellow crystals. The former was said to represent body, soul and spirit, while the latter represented the youth as the nation’s future.

Prior to the announcement, American fashion designer Nick Verreos showed his admiration for the costume, saying that of late the country’s representatives had seriously upped their Costume Couture game. (jes/kes)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/...costume-at-miss-grand-international-2017.html

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American designer Nick Verreos praises Indonesia's costume at Miss Grand International 2017
Jakarta | Fri, October 20, 2017 | 02:07 pm

The national costume worn by the third runner-up of Putri Indonesia 2017 Dea Rizkita at the Miss Grand International 2017 reportedly had caught the attention of American fashion designer Nick Verreos.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

On his blog post on the pageant, Verreos included the costume in his “Top 15 Favorite National Costumes from Miss Grand International 2017” list.

“Leave it to Indonesia to BRING IT when it comes to national costumes at beauty pageants. Lately their representatives have been seriously upping their Costume Couture game! This UBER intricate costume needs A LOT of explanation,” he wrote of the Indonesian costume that is entitled Motherland.

The 27-kilogram dress presents Indonesia as a maritime country with the dark blue color. It is also adorned with five blue crystals on the circular ornament that represent Pancasila.

Meanwhile, three blue crystals on the head represent body, soul and spirit; and five yellow crystals represent the youth generation as the nation’s next successor.

The wings feature on the costume represent tenderness, strength and prayers from the ancestors, whilst the backbone ornament represents Indonesia as the world’s backbone.

The belt represents fertility and brotherhood, the utilization of five traditional textiles represent the cultural diversity of Indonesia, whilst the temple miniature represents Indonesians’ belief of body as a temple and the symbol of self-enlightenment.

The costume has already been included in the Top 15 Voted National Costumes MGI list with seven million points from the votes. Currently Dea is competing for the top 10 spot.

“I hope she can get the best result […] Dea also has a mission of introducing Indonesian tourism and culture,” said Puteri Indonesia Foundation council chairman Putri K. Wisnu Wardani.

Last year, Ariska Putri Pertiwi who represented Indonesia in the competition took home the Best National Costume and was crowned Miss Grand International 2016. (kes)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/trave...costume-at-miss-grand-international-2017.html

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[Nike]

Indonesia wins Best National Costume at Miss Grand International 2017
The Jakarta Post | Thu, October 26, 2017 | 04:21 pm

Indonesia has been named the winner in the Best National Costume category at the Miss Grand International 2017 grand final on Wednesday in Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

The national costume was worn by the third runner-up of Putri Indonesia 2017, Dea Goesti Rizkita.

On her Instagram account, Dea said she was dedicating the costume to the country.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Designed by Morpachio and couture fashion designer Mayaratih, the 27-kilogram blue-and-gold attire was themed Motherland and presented Indonesia as a maritime country, reported tempo.co.

The design was also said to incorporate the country's principles by including five blue crystals on a circular ornament to represent Pancasila.

Meanwhile, the headpiece featured three blue crystals and five yellow crystals. The former was said to represent body, soul and spirit, while the latter represented the youth as the nation’s future.

Prior to the announcement, American fashion designer Nick Verreos showed his admiration for the costume, saying that of late the country’s representatives had seriously upped their Costume Couture game. (jes/kes)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/...costume-at-miss-grand-international-2017.html

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American designer Nick Verreos praises Indonesia's costume at Miss Grand International 2017
Jakarta | Fri, October 20, 2017 | 02:07 pm

The national costume worn by the third runner-up of Putri Indonesia 2017 Dea Rizkita at the Miss Grand International 2017 reportedly had caught the attention of American fashion designer Nick Verreos.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

On his blog post on the pageant, Verreos included the costume in his “Top 15 Favorite National Costumes from Miss Grand International 2017” list.

“Leave it to Indonesia to BRING IT when it comes to national costumes at beauty pageants. Lately their representatives have been seriously upping their Costume Couture game! This UBER intricate costume needs A LOT of explanation,” he wrote of the Indonesian costume that is entitled Motherland.

The 27-kilogram dress presents Indonesia as a maritime country with the dark blue color. It is also adorned with five blue crystals on the circular ornament that represent Pancasila.

Meanwhile, three blue crystals on the head represent body, soul and spirit; and five yellow crystals represent the youth generation as the nation’s next successor.

The wings feature on the costume represent tenderness, strength and prayers from the ancestors, whilst the backbone ornament represents Indonesia as the world’s backbone.

The belt represents fertility and brotherhood, the utilization of five traditional textiles represent the cultural diversity of Indonesia, whilst the temple miniature represents Indonesians’ belief of body as a temple and the symbol of self-enlightenment.

The costume has already been included in the Top 15 Voted National Costumes MGI list with seven million points from the votes. Currently Dea is competing for the top 10 spot.

“I hope she can get the best result […] Dea also has a mission of introducing Indonesian tourism and culture,” said Puteri Indonesia Foundation council chairman Putri K. Wisnu Wardani.

Last year, Ariska Putri Pertiwi who represented Indonesia in the competition took home the Best National Costume and was crowned Miss Grand International 2016. (kes)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/trave...costume-at-miss-grand-international-2017.html

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Look like cold queen character costume in some fantasy novel, the evil side ones

 

[katarabhumi]

This Indonesian Illusionist, The Sacred Riana, Steals Attention In Asia’s Got Talent
by Elite Newsfeed 2 - October 28, 2017

The Sacred Riana, a mystery Indonesian illusionist managed to make the judges on Asia’s Got Talent, Jay Park, Anggun and David Foster mesmerized. She became the one who steal the attention of the jurors.

Riana performs with her doll and brings an illusionary effect on stage.

The Sacred Riana who has a full name Marie Antoinette Riana Graharani once joined to become one of the contestants in The Next Mentalist in a show that aired on one television station in 2014. At that moment, one of the performances that made Riana steal the show was when she showed the spirits out of her body without a camera trick.

With the stage name The Sacred, her figure is quite frightening for viewers who witnessed The Next Mentalist event. In addition to not talking much, the attraction she brought was also more to bring the impression of ” horror”Or mystical. Characteristic in appearance is a fairly long hair and always unraveled covering her left eye.

Watch video below :

https://www.facebook.com/

http://www.elitenewsfeed.net/2017/1...cred-riana-steals-attention-asias-got-talent/


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[katarabhumi]

New great ape species identified in Indonesia
By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News - 2 November 2017

Scientists who have been puzzling for years over the genetic "peculiarity" of a tiny population of orangutans in Sumatra have finally concluded that they are a new species to science.

The apes in question were only reported to exist after an expedition into the remote mountain forests there in 1997.

Since then, a research project has unpicked their biological secret.

The species has been named the Tapanuli orangutan - a third species in addition to the Bornean and Sumatran.

It is the first new great ape to be described for almost a century.

An orangutan from the Batang Toru region of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, which researchers say is a distinct, third species of great apes. Credit Tim Laman

Publishing their work in the journal Current Biology, the team - including researchers from the University of Zurich, Liverpool John Moores University and the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme - pointed out that there are only 800 individuals remaining, making this one of the world's most threatened ape species.

Early on in their study, researchers took DNA from the orangutans, which showed them to be "peculiar" compared to other orangutans in Sumatra.

So the scientists embarked on a painstaking investigation - reconstructing the animals' evolutionary history through their genetic code.

One of the lead researchers, Prof Michael Krützen from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, explained to BBC News: "The genomic analysis really allows us to look in detail at the history.

"We can probe deep back in time and ask, 'when did these populations split off?'."

The analysis of a total 37 complete orangutan genomes - the code for the biological make-up of each animal - has now shown that these apes separated from their Bornean relatives less than 700,000 years ago - a snip in evolutionary time.
Head to head

For his part in the study, Prof Serge Wich, from Liverpool John Moores University, focused on the orangutans' signature calls - loud sounds the male apes make to announce their presence.

"Those calls can carry a kilometre through the forest," Prof Wich explained.

"If you look at these calls, you can tease them apart, and we found some subtle differences between these and other populations."

The final piece of the puzzle, though, was very subtle but consistent differences in the shape of the Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli orangutan skulls.

Prof Wich told BBC News that the decades of collaborative genetic, anatomical and acoustic studies had achieved an "amazing breakthrough".

"There are only seven great ape species - not including us," he said. "So adding one to that very small list is spectacular.

"It's something I think many biologists dream of."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41848816
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/science/new-orangutan-species.html


+++

Indonesia to build Southeast Asia's largest observatory
The Jakarta Post | Thu, November 2, 2017 | 10:43 am

The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) is set to build Southeast Asia's largest observatory in Timau in the Kupang regency of East Nusa Tenggara, an official said.

On Monday, Kupang regent Ayub Titu Eki revealed that plans are already under way in conjunction with Lapan, as reported by tempo.co. The observatory is expected to encourage tourism in the area as well as developing the region as a research and technology center.

"Lapan will develop the facility to be a natural tourism site that would be attractive to tourists," Titu said.

An advanced telescope measuring 3.8 meters in diameter would be placed in the building, Titu said, adding that it would be the largest in Southeast Asia.

Lapan said the mountainous region of Timau is considered a strategic spot for space observation, covering both northern and southern directions.

Lapan is in the beginning stages of developing the facility, Titu said, adding that several heavy vehicle units had been being delayed due to severe road damage throughout the Kupang region.

"The Kupang regional government has informed the central government to repair the damaged roads because the observatory’s construction is earmarked for early next year," he added.

In the meantime, he said, Lapan is also currently building a science center in the Tilong area in Central Kupang on an area spanning 40 hectares that would be dedicated to research. (liz/kes)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/...uild-southeast-asias-largest-observatory.html


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[katarabhumi]

Two ASEAN Heritage Parks declared in Indonesia
Channelnewsasia - 13/11/2017

SINGAPORE: Two nationals parks in Indonesia have been declared ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP), making both highly protected areas of conservation.

Kepulauan Seribu National Park (KSNP) and Wakatobi National Park (WNP) were officially nominated during the 14th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Brunei in September, according to a press release by ASEAN Biodiversity on Monday (Nov 13).

Located in DKI Jakarta Province, KSNP is a park composed of 78 islands with unique vegetation.

Kepulauan Seribu National Park is composed of 78 islands with unique vegetation. (Photo: ASEAN Biodiversity)

Endangered animals like the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle nest in the islands, while the park also runs a rehabilitation programme which aims to reverse the decline of the three species of eagles found in the islands.

WNP on the other hand, located in the province of Southeast Sulawesi, spans an area of 1.39 million ha and is known for having the highest diversity of corals and marine resources in the world.

The park is also home to the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle.

Wakatobi National Park is known for having the highest diversity of corals and marine resources in the world. (Photo: ASEAN Biodiversity)

In 2012, WNP was recognised by UNESCO as part of the "World Network of Biosphere Reserves".

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...-heritage-parks-declared-in-indonesia-9402648


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[pr1v4t33r]

Indonesian action movies slated for next year

Si Buta dari Goa Hantu

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

The Night Comes For Us

Foxtrot Six

 

[katarabhumi]

two face : The bizarre double-ended car
An Indonesian mechanic spent six months created the two-headed Toyota that has double engines, pedals, gears and steering wheel
By Joe Finnerty, Digital Motors Ediotr - 23rd January 2018, 2:39 pm
Updated: 23rd January 2018, 2:39 pm

THIS bizarre two-faced car has been turning heads of confused onlookers - but has now been banned by police.

The two-headed Toyota is the brainchild of 71-year-old Indonesian mechanic who spent six months creating the unusual motor.

Roni Gunawan from Bandung in Indonesia's West Java Province split two Toyota Vios cars in half before welding them back together to create the mirror image.

The gleaming orange saloon now has two engines, two steering wheels, two pedals, two gear sets and a single gas tank.

Its most interesting feature? The car can be driven from either end.

Roni said: "It took me six months to create this unique car."

"I took help of ten workers to cut two Toyota Vios cars at the centre and welded the two heads and transformed them into his wonderful car."

"The most difficult part is obviously when we cut them. We had to make sure both parts are symmetrical and then of course the merging process, how to joining them together seamlessly." , said one of the mechanic.

"I always wanted to design something unique." said Roni.

His joy, however, was short-lived as the unusual vehicle was seized by the police hours after it hit the road.

The police said that the modified car had violated traffic rules for not having proper safety signals such as reverse lights. The car also had the wrong dimensions.

Fortunately, Roni gets to keep his unique ride - as long as it's not on the road.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/540...-be-driven-forward-and-back-at-the-same-time/
http://www.asiaone.com/asia/double-ended-car-turns-heads-indonesia-roads

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[katarabhumi]

Indonesian minister is ‘best minister in the world’
She was ranked as the 38th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in 2016.

Published: 16:16, February 11, 2018
Gulf News - Mary Achkhanian, Staff Reporter

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati received the Best Minister Award from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai, during the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (11/02). The award was given to recognize outstanding government ministers for their exceptional efforts in implementing successful reform. (Reuters Photo/Christopher Pike)

Dubai: Known as a “tough reformist”, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, was announced as the ‘Best Minister in the World’ during the sixth World Government Summit on Sunday.

Indrawati was recognised for her efforts in fighting corruption and increasing transparency in the government with the help of her team at the Ministry of Finance in Indonesia.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai presented Indrawati with the award.

Under Indrawati’s mandate, Indonesia achieved tangible results in reducing poverty, improving the standard of living, reducing public debt and boosting transparency on public transactions.

Indrawati, who has served as the Minister of Finance since 2016 and was ranked as the 38th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine, was selected among eight ministers who were shortlisted during the final round of the award.

Now in its third edition, the prestigious award organised in partnership with Ernest & Young (EY) recognises the exceptional efforts of government ministers at demonstrating excellence in the public sector, implementing successful reforms and inspiring other government leaders and service providers to promote innovation within their domain, to better serve the needs of their citizens.

A jury of international experts and key figure representatives of international organisations chose the winner based on a set of criteria that included social and economic impact, scalability, innovation and leadership.

Largely credited with strengthening Indonesia’s economy, Indrawati efforts has managed to increase investments and steer Southeast Asia’s largest economy through the 2007—2010 financial crisis.

She had previously served in the same post as the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2010 after which she resigned and served as the managing director of the World Bank Group.

The public were also included nominating the best minister through social media. To ensure transparency, ministers from the UAE are not considered for the award.

Other than this award, Sri Mulyani was also crowned as the best finance minister in the ASEAN and Asia region by Finance Asia Magazine on March 2017.


Impeccable record

served as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia since 2016, holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. Before holding the same role from 2005-2010, she served as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at the World Bank, where she was responsible for worldwide operations. In 2005, one of her first acts as Minister, was to fire corrupt tax and custom officers in the department. Just one year later, she was named Euromoney Finance Minister of the Year by Euromoney magazine. Indrawati was then appointed as Managing Director of the World Bank Group in 2010, and resigned as Minister of Finance, before being reappointed in 2016.

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/government/indonesian-minister-is-best-minister-in-the-world-1.2171784
http://jakartaglobe.id/multimedia/s...minister-award-world-government-summit-dubai/
http://www.financeasia.com/News/434882,sri-mulyani-indrawati-asias-best-finance-minister.aspx
http://www.theindependent.sg/indonesias-finance-minister-the-best-in-asean/
https://coconuts.co/jakarta/news/indonesias-sri-mulyani-named-best-finance-minister-asia/

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[pr1v4t33r]

Indonesia retain Asia Team men's title

Indonesia defeated China 3-1 to retain their Asia Team Championships men's gold medal at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium on Sunday. Jonatan Christie started the ball rolling with a 21-16, 17-21, 21-18 win over China's Shi Yuqi before Mohammad Ahsan-Angga Pratama extended Indonesia's lead by overcoming He Jiting-Tan Qiang 21-19, 21-18 in 37 minutes.

However, China reduced the deficit in the second singles match when Qiao Bin defeated Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-12, 11-21, 21-14 in 72 minutes.

Rian Agung Saputro-Hendra Setiawan earned Indonesia's winning point with a comprehensive 21-14, 21-19 victory over Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong in the second doubles match.

"My win over Shi Yuqi was the key to Indonesia's success today. I was under no pressure during the match. I played patiently and earned points at key moments for the win," said Jonatan.

Japan were crowned champions in the women's event when they defeated China 3-0.

World No 2 Akane Yamaguchi earned Japan's first point when she edged Chen Yufei 21-16, 12-21, 21-14.

Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi then extended Japan lead with a 21-13, 21-16 success over Du Yue-Li Yinhui.

Nozomi Okuhara sealed Japan's victory when she defeated He Bingjiao 19-21, 21-16, 21-10.

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2018/02/334626/indonesia-retain-asia-team-mens-title

 

[Nike]

Indonesia retain Asia Team men's title

Indonesia defeated China 3-1 to retain their Asia Team Championships men's gold medal at the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium on Sunday. Jonatan Christie started the ball rolling with a 21-16, 17-21, 21-18 win over China's Shi Yuqi before Mohammad Ahsan-Angga Pratama extended Indonesia's lead by overcoming He Jiting-Tan Qiang 21-19, 21-18 in 37 minutes.

However, China reduced the deficit in the second singles match when Qiao Bin defeated Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-12, 11-21, 21-14 in 72 minutes.

Rian Agung Saputro-Hendra Setiawan earned Indonesia's winning point with a comprehensive 21-14, 21-19 victory over Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong in the second doubles match.

"My win over Shi Yuqi was the key to Indonesia's success today. I was under no pressure during the match. I played patiently and earned points at key moments for the win," said Jonatan.

Japan were crowned champions in the women's event when they defeated China 3-0.

World No 2 Akane Yamaguchi earned Japan's first point when she edged Chen Yufei 21-16, 12-21, 21-14.

Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi then extended Japan lead with a 21-13, 21-16 success over Du Yue-Li Yinhui.

Nozomi Okuhara sealed Japan's victory when she defeated He Bingjiao 19-21, 21-16, 21-10.

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2018/02/334626/indonesia-retain-asia-team-mens-title

No wonder Japan woman crush Indonesia woman team 3-0, my bet they will get uber and we will get Thomas